Downhole fluid analysis is often used to provide information in real time about the composition of subterranean formation or reservoir fluids. Such real-time information can be advantageously used to improve or optimize the effectiveness of formation testing tools during sampling processes in a given well (e.g., downhole fluid composition analysis allows for reducing and/or optimizing the number of samples captured and brought back to the surface for further analysis). More generally, collecting accurate data about the characteristics of formation fluid(s) is an important aspect of making reliable predictions about a formation or reservoir and, thus, can have a significant impact on reservoir performance (e.g., production, quality, volume, efficiency, etc.).
To increase production of certain reservoirs such as, for example, the Cantarell field in Mexico, nonhydrocarbon fluids such as nitrogen are injected into the formation or into adjacent wellbores. However, in some cases, such injected nitrogen may bypass the formation fluid and/or not obtain an equilibrium state in the formation fluid, thereby reducing the benefits gained by injecting nitrogen into the formation. While there are many benefits of injecting nitrogen into a formation, nitrogen is not detectable using known downhole fluid analysis techniques. Therefore, in an attempt to determine the nitrogen concentration within a formation, numerous samples are typically obtained from the formation and brought back to the surface for analysis. However, these known techniques do not provide real-time information, which delays the ability to make production and/or sampling decisions based on the results of the analysis.